"Psychopaths, often charming—but
always deadly are social predators who charm, manipulate, and ruthlessly plow
their way through life, leaving devastation behind. Completely lacking in
conscience and in feelings for others, they take what they want and do as they
please, violating social norms and expectations without the slightest sense of
guilt or regret. Their game is self-gratification at the other person's expense.
Many spend time in prison, but many do not. All take far more than they give.
"There are at least 2 million
psychopaths in North America. New York itself has as many as 100,000
psychopaths. The most obvious expressions of psychopathy—but by no means the
only ones—involve flagrant criminal violation of society's rules. Many
psychopaths are criminals, but many others remain out of prison, using their
charm and chameleonlike abilities to cut a wide swath through society and
leaving a wake of ruined lives behind them. Like pieces of a puzzle they are a
self-centered, callous, and remorseless person profoundly lacking in empathy and
the ability to form warm emotional relationships with others, a person who
functions without the restraints of conscience. They are missing the very
qualities that allow human beings to live in social harmony. Psychopaths are
most often associated with serial killers but rapists, thieves, swindlers, con
men, wife beaters, white-collar criminals, hype-prone stock promoters, child
abusers, gang members, disbarred lawyers, drug barons, professional gamblers,
members of organized crime, doctors who've lost their licenses, terrorists, cult
leaders, mercenaries, and unscrupulous businesspeople all can be considered
psychopaths."
"PRIMARY
PSYCHOPATHS do not respond to punishment, apprehension, stress, or
disapproval. They seem to be able to inhibit their antisocial impulses
most of the time, not because of conscience, but because it suits their
purpose at the time. Words do not seem to have the same meaning for them
as they do for us. In fact, it's unclear if they even grasp the meaning of
their own words, a condition that Cleckley called 'semantic aphasia.' They
don't follow any life plan, and it seems as if they are incapable of
experiencing any genuine emotion.
"Sociopaths
have always existed in varying form and to various degrees. They have been known
by various titles. They have been studied using various techniques, and through
the years their ailment has been blamed on various causes. But one thing never
varies: all sociopaths share three common characteristics. They are all very
egocentric individuals with no empathy for others, and they are incapable of
feeling remorse or guilt. [The Sociopath Rebecca Horton (April
1999)]"
In
his "Adams Versus God," Melbourne broadcaster Phillip Adams said in
1985 that, according to US studies, "Jehovah's Witnesses are more likely to
be admitted to psychiatric hospitals than the general population".
"According to an article in the British Journal of Psychiatry," he
said, "they are three times more likely to be diagnosed as suffering from
schizophrenia and four times more likely to be paranoid schizophrenics.
"As a writer in the American journal Free Inquiry puts it: 'Either the
Jehovah's Witness sect tends to attract an excess of pre-psychotic individuals
who may then break down, or else being a Jehovah's Witness is itself a stress
that may precipitate psychosis.
"'Possibly both of these factors operate together ...'"
Books, CDs, DVDs, and
digital downloads on all things Jehovah's Witnesses
Windows Media Player (May need to click play button
twice to start)